Shoe polishing machine



June 20, 1967 Filed April 22, 1965 E. DREIBHOL Z SHOE POLISHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR. 25 M655:

M1 1 R L June 20, 1967 E. DREIBHOLZ 3,325,843

SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 22, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR.

BY .WWW

June 20, 1967 E. DREIBHOLZ SHOE rousnme MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 22, 1965 INVENTOR. an D /A/m/Z June 26), 1967 SHOE POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 22, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I NVEN TOR.

E. DREIBHOLZ 3,325,843

United States Patent Claims The present invention relates to a shoe polishing machine having rotating brushes which move about the surface supporting the shoe to be polished in addition to their rotary movement.

In known machines of this type a plurality of brushes are disposed star-like and turnable; the individual brushes are adapted for the different shoe colors. The brush, which happens to be in operative position, is pointed towards the shoe to be polished. The brush revolves about the supporting surface for the shoe along a circular path, together with the other non-operative brushes. This circular path does not follow the elongated configuration of any shoe. The shoe cannot remain on the supporting surface without lateral displacement or the like, if a satisfactory brushing should be brought about. First of all, these known machines do not take into account that most shoes, particularly the so-called oxford shoes have a greater height within the range of its heel cap and the section covering the instep and that a lower disposed, hollowed section extends between these higher sections.

In these known shoe polishing machines it cannot be avoided, even upon a selection of brushes having complicated profiles, that the brush slides along the stocking, if it is to be assured that, for instance, the heel cap is polished up to its highest point.

In other known shoe polishing machines it has been substantially abandoned to cause revolving the rotating brush simultaneously in a horizontal path about the supporting surface for the shoe to be polished. It has been left to the user of the machine to provide the individual positions of the shoe toward the brush by movement of the foot, which positions are required in order to polish the complete leather surface of the shoe. Thisoperation is disadvantageous and usually encounters a certain aversion of the user, particularly in view of the least anticipated dangers.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine which avoids the drawbacks of hitherto known machines.

It is, furthermore, an object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein the movement of the brushes rotating, on the one hand, and revolving horizontally, on the other hand, is adjusted to the profile of all shoes which is present in longitudinal direction, as well as in the direction of their height.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein the brushes revolving about an elliptical path, are controlled to assume different height positions during each revolution.

The control of the movement of the brushes permits the use of brushes having standard bristle lengths, and practically the yielding of the brushes can be fully exploited in order to polish shoes of various sizes.

The control of the brushes for different height positions during each revolution is performed such, that the brushes assume a lesser height, when they are disposed laterally of the supporting face of the shoe to be polished, and a greater height position if they are, for instance, in front of the shoe toe and the heel cap.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein friction rollers associated therewith for moving them about the periphery of a substantial elliptical, stationary guide disc are arranged underneath the supporting surface for the shoe to be polished.

Preferably, the rotating discs are themselves driven by way of friction discs, support discs being provided, so as to engage the surface of the rotating discs.

It is also a further object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein the direction of rotation of the bristles is opposite to the direction in which the brushes revolve about the shoe.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein two brush bearing arms, pivotally secured to a rotating disc, are tensioned toward each other by a spring.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an access opening for the shoe to be polished which is disposed above the shoe supporting surfaces, so that the user can insert his shoe only by a substantially vertically disposed entrance movement onto the supporting face and escapes the danger to cross the horizontal revolving path of the brushes. Consequently, the horizontal revolving path of the brushes is not crossed by the inserting and removing movements of the shoe.

It is yet another object of the present invention to pro vide a shoe polishing machine, wherein the supporting surface for the shoe has in its rearward range an electrical switch operable by the shoe to be set on the surface. This arrangement permits that the machine becomes operative only when the shoe firmly rests with its heel on the supporting surface. Conversely, the machine is stopped not later than when the heel of the shoe leaves the solid position on the supporting surface. It is, on the other hand, possible to raise the tip of the shoe without difliculty, in order to polish the upper leather of the shoe by means of an additional brush. This additional brush is, in accordance with the present invention, a roller brush revolving horizontally above the forward range of the supporting surface for the shoe and having a width equal at least with that of the supporting surface.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shoe polishing machine, wherein one of the rotating and revolving brushes has rows of bristles made of a stronger material than the rest of the brush, e.g., from nylon or perlon or a similar relatively strong but resilient material and extending from the top edge of the brushes to a further rearwardly disposed point seen in the direction of rotation of the bottom edge. By this expedient, any soil, dirt or mud removed from the shoe or of the brush is scraped off and thrown toward the bottom of the machine. In order to remove the dirt in a simple manner, movable bottom sheets are provided in the machine frame.

Polish or wax dispensers which are kown, are designed, in the machine designed according to the present invention, such that the wax container performs a swinging movement operated by the main machine shaft and disposed above the roller brush, the wax container having a dispensing opening controlled by a magnetically operated valve and disposed in front of a dabbing rag extending in the direction of rotation of the roller brush and disposed on the latter. Even at high rotation speeds of the additional roller brush, the dispensed Wax which drops out in a thin liquid, good emulsion independently from the ambient temperatures, due to the oscillating movement of the wax container, is not thrown off, rather is distributed timely between the dropping area and the reaching of the upper shoe leather on the roller.

In order to avoid that the shoe set on the supporting surface, for instance, due to an insufficient load of the leg, is taken along by the horizontally revolving brushes, in accordance with the present invention, an abutment is provided laterally of the roller brush to the height of the supporting face.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the shoe polishing machine designed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are front elevations, similar to that of FIG. 1, partly in section, but the cover being removed, of the leftand right-hand polishing systems, respectively;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the machine, similar to FIG. 2, partly in section, but the end wall being removed; and

FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic top plan view of the rotating disc carrying the swingably pivoted brushes.

Referring now to the drawing, the shoe polishing machine comprises a framework 1 having front, side and back walls.

The mechanism includes substantially identical leftand right-hand systems with corresponding elements designated by identical numerals. The driving mechanism, as will be explained below, is common for both systems or sides of the machine.

Rotating discs 6 and 7 are mounted on beams 2 and 3 for rotation about immovable axles 4 and 5. Bearing arms 43 and 44 are swingably mounted on and in radial direction of the rotating discs 6 and 7, whereby brushes 8 and 9 are mounted on the bearing arms 43 and 44 and revolve about an elliptical path. Friction rollers 10 and 11 drive the brushes 8 and 9, and run along an immovable, approximately elliptical friction disc 13 disposed below a supporting face 12 for the shoe to be polished. Each pair of diametrically oppositely disposed bearing arms 43 and 44 is tensioned relative to each other by means of a spring 16, whereby the friction rollers 10 and 11 are pressed toward the friction disc 13.

Due to the approximately elliptical revolving path of the brushes, a variable height position of the brushes to the supporting face for the shoe is obtained during each revolution. As can be ascertained FIGURES 3A and 3B, the brushes 8 and 9 are in the shown inwardly inclined position of their bearing arms 43 and 44 deeper than in the position shown in FIG. 4, in which the bearing arms 43 and 44 are disposed in outwardly inclined position.

The discs 6 and 7 are rotated by a common drive mechanism. A motor 36 having a pulley 37 drives by convention belt means a pulley 38 mounted on a main shaft 23 supported by bearings 39. Another pulley 38', as shown in FIG. 3, is mounted on the main shaft 23 which transmits the movement by a belt to a further pulley 38 rotatably mounted and carrying a friction disc 14, for each of the discs 6 and 7. Support discs 15 biased by springs 15' are below the engaging faces of the friction discs 14.

Due to the interposition of the friction rollers 10 and 11 which run along the immovable friction disc 13, the direction of revolution x '(FIG. 5) of the brushes 8 and 9 is opposite to the direction of rotation of said brushes 8 and 9 in the direction y (FIG. 5).

FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 disclose an insert opening 17 for the shoe to be polished in the machine, above each shoe support face 12. A strip-off brush 18 disposed in a recess 18' of the front wall is arranged in front of each opening 17. The insert opening 17 is provided in the machine cover and is set backwardly from the front edge for the length 14 (FIG. 4).

The support face 12 for the shoe to be polished forms a switch plate 19 in the rearward range of the shoe, which switch plate 19 operates, upon pressing down the shoe heel, an end switch 20 by means of an angular member 21. A pulling spring 22 swings the switch plate 19 and the angular member 21, the former shown in dotted lines, upon non-useof the machine out of the switching range of the end switch 29.

A horizontally rotating brush 24 is mounted on the main shaft 23 above the support face 12 for the shoe to be polished. The Width of the roller brush 24 corresponds at least with that of the support surface 12.

One of the two oppositely disposed revolving brushes 8 and 9, respectively, has rows of bristles 8 and 9, respectively, which are made of more resistant material, for instance, Perlon, compared with the bristles of the same brushes. The rows of bristles 8' and 9', respectively, extend from the top edge 8 and 9, respectively, of the respective brushes to a more rearward point of the lower brush edge 8" and 9", respectively, seen in the direction of rotation thereof (FIGURES 3A and 3B).

Removable bottom sheets 25 having an upwardly bent edge portion and being disposed in the machine frame serve as mud catching sheets. The bottom sheets 25 are locked in place by means of a lever arrangement 26. A single-armed lever engages with its free end 27 thereby an abutment 28 of the bottom sheet 25. The connection between the abutment 28 of the bottom sheet 25 and the free end 27 of the one-armed lever is released by manually depressing a pull rod 29, whereby the free end 27 of the one-armed lever swings out of the range of the abutment 28. The locking and thereleasing action takes place, while a cover 30 of the machine is opened, which cover 30 can be secured in place by means of locks 31.

(FIG. 1). When the lever arrangement 26 is released, either one of the bottom plates 25 can be removed and cleaned from the dust, dirt or mud which has been scraped off by the brushes from the users shoe.

A supply container 63 for shoe polishing means which is subjected to a swinging movement from the main shaft 23 by means of a connecting rod 32', is secured in the bearing 32 above the roller brush 24. The connecting rod 32 obtains the swinging pulse by the eccentric 23' mounted on the main shaft 23. The downwardly pointing discharge opening 33, controlled by a magnetically operated valve 34 suitably controlled by conventional means,

is disposed in front of a rag 33" extending on the roller brush 24 in the direction of rotation z of the latter. The rag 33" is surrounded by a curved metal sheet 45.

An abutment member 35 secured to a cross bar 35' projects downwardly aside of the roller brush 24, to the level of the supporting surface 12. It is arranged on the side of the supporting surface 12 such, that it prevents the movement of the shoe to be polished duringrotating of the brushes 8 and 9, respectively, in the direction of the arrow y (FIG. 5').

The disclosed embodiment shows a double machine, one side being adapted for brown sh-oes and the other side being adapted for black shoes. A holding grip 40 is secured to the front side of the machine. It is of U-shape and stands upright. A coin slot 41 is provided in the cover 30. A coin return opening 42 is arranged in the front wall of the machine covering. A conventional coin checking device is likewise arranged in the machine. FIG. 1 also shows two signal lamps 46 and 47, the purpose of which will 'be explained below.

' The shoe polishing machine operates in the fololwing manner:

Upon insertion of a coin in the slot 41, the machine is set into the state of readiness. One of the signal lamps 46 indicates this state and depending upon the color of the shoe, the corresponding entrance opening 17 will be selected for the shoe. If now the heel of the inserted shoe, pushes downwardly the switch plate 19, operable in the rear range of the supporting surface 12, the end switch 20 is switched on by means of the angular member 21. The main shaft 23 and the roller brushes 24 are driven by the motor 36. Simultaneously, the swinging movement of the supply container 33 starts by means of the control rod 32. The magnetically operated valve 34 opens the discharge opening 33' for a predetermined time period, so that polishing material is transferred to the roller brush 24.

The friction discs 14 drive the rotating discs 6 and 7, which bring the brushes 8 and 9 by means of the immovable friction discs 13 and of the friction rollers 10 and 11 into about elliptical revolving paths.

A switching scheme (not shown) can be applied according to which the motor 36 is switched off after a predetermined time period. The signal lamp 46 is turned off. The signal lamp 47 lights up and the user sets the second shoe on the same supporting surface 12. The revolving of the brushes 8 and 9 is started again for a predetermined time period, as well as the magnetically operated magnetic valve starts operation.

The shoe polishing machine is a means for efficiently and safely polishing shoes of any sizes. The shoes may be held on the supporting surfaces, without the need for any lateral movement, and avoiding any contact between the polishing brushes and the users socks. Nevertheless, both the front and rear portions of the shoes are completely polished.

The lower orientation of the brushes, when they are more inwardly with respect to the shoe supporting surface, ensures the aforementioned advantage of the machine according to the present invention. The vertically rotating additional brushes properly polish the upper leather of the shoes, without interference from the revolving brushes. It is, of course, entirely possible to lift the tips of the shoes so as to bring about or increase the contact with the additional brushes. The abutment prevents any unwanted movement of the shoes, or their entrainment by the rotating and revolving brushes.

The longer axes of the stationary, elliptical discs coincide with the longer extension of the respective supporting surfaces. At the same time, the brushes are moved down on the side of the shoes and up in front and in back, thus, corresponding to the contours of oxford shoes.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe polishing machine, comprising, in combination,

a rotating means,

a pair of brush means each including a revolvable brush and brush shaft and pivotally mounted on said rotating means,

drive means for rotating said rotating means, thereby rotating said brush means,

a stationary guide means, and

a roller means mounted for rotation with said rotating means and movably engaging said brush shaft and said stationary guide means for rolling relative along said stationary guide means and turning when said rotating means is rotated, thereby revolving said brush shaft and said brush.

2. The shoe polishing machine, as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said roller means is a friction roller which frictionally engages rolls along said stationary guide means and frictionally engages and revolves said brush shaft.

3. The shoe polishing machine, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stationary guide means is elliptic.

4. The shoe polishing machine, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said pair of brush means are pivotally mounted diametrically opposite each other to pivot in a radial direction relative to said rotating means, and

common spring means connected to and between said pair of brush means for biasing said brush means toward each other.

5. The shoe polishing machine, as set forth in claim 3,

further comprising a support surface member disposed in said machine for said shoe within the range of said brushes and having a forward range for the front of said shoe,

a horizontally rotating roller brush disposed substantially above said forward range of said support surface member and adapted for brushing the upper leather of saidfront of said shoe,

an application cloth extending in the rotating direction of and suspended by said roller brush,

a supply container for shoe polishing means disposed above said roller brush and having a dispensing exit in front of said roller brush for opening and closing, respectively, and

magnetically operated valve means controlling the opening and closing of the dispensing exit.

6. The shoe polishing machine, as set forth in claim 3,

further comprising a support surface member disposed in said machine for said shoe within the range of said brushes and having a forward range for the front of said shoe, and a rear portion for the back of said shoe, and

a switch plate means disposed on said support surface member at said rear portion and adapted to be operated by a shoe placed on said support member.

7. A shoe polishing machine comprising, in combination,

drive means,

transmission means operatively connected therewith,

at least one system for polishing a shoe inserted in the machine,

said system including a pair of brushes adapted for engagement with said shoe,

means for rotating said brushes including a main shaft,

means for revolving said brushes about said shoe along a substantially elliptical path,

means for controlling the positions of height of said brushes during the revolving movement of the latter,

said revolving means includes a substantially elliptical, stationary guide disc for controlling the revolving movement of said brushes along an elongated, substantially elliptical path, during their rotating movement about their own axis,

said rotating means for said brushes includes means causing rotation of said brushes in a direction opposite to that of revolving said brushes.

8. A shoe polishing machine, comprising drive means,

transmission means operatively connected therewith,

at least one system for polishing a shoe inserted in the machine,

said system including a pair of brushes adapted for engagement with said shoe,

means for rotating said brushes including a main shaft,

means for revolving said brushes about said shoe along a substantially elliptical path,

means for controlling the positions of height of said brushes during the revolving movement of the latter,

a support surface member disposed in said machine for said shoe within the range of said brushes,

a front wall covering the front portion of said machine and defining an insert opening above said support surface member,

said support surface member has at its rear portion a switch plate means adapted to be operated by a shoe placed on said support surface member,

a horizontally rotating roller brush disposed substantially above the forward range of said support surface member and adapted for treating the upper leather of said shoe,

said roller brush has a width of at least the width of said support surface member,

a supply container for shoe polishing means, disposed above said roller brush,

means operatively connected with said main shaft for subjecting said container to a swinging movement, magnetically operated valve means controlling said dispense opening, an application rag extends in the direction of rotation of and is suspended by said roller brush, and said dispense opening is disposed in front of said application rag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Magnuson 15-31 Danielson 74-194 X Nappi 15-36 Outlaw 15-36 Adams 15-182 CHARLES A. WILLMUT H, Primary Examiner.

10 S. E. BECK, E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SHOE POLISHING MACHINE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A ROTATING MEANS, A PAIR OF BRUSH MEANS EACH INCLUDING A REVOLVABLE BRUSH AND BRUSH SHAFT AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID ROTATING MEANS, DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROTATING MEANS, THEREBY ROTATING SAID BRUSH MEANS, A STATIONARY GUIDE MEANS, AND ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WITH SAID ROTATING MEANS AND MOVABLY ENGAGING SAID BRUSH SHAFT AND SAID STATIONARY GUIDE FOR ROLLING RELATIVE ALONG 